Archive for November, 2009

Style Profile: Biere de Garde

Tuesday, November 24th, 2009

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The French are not particularly well known for their beer. Although wine gets most of the attention in France, there are some wonderful French styles of beer that are worth seeking out. Today we’re looking at Biere de Garde, a style which makes a great accompaniment to Thanksgiving.

Biere de Garde is one of the few beer styles native to France. It’s produced mainly in the Pas-de-Calais region not too far from where saison is produced in Belgium. The close proximity between these two regions is fitting as they share many common characteristics. In many ways, biere de garde can be thought of as the sweeter cousin to saison. Both beers are light in flavor and were originally produced to provide sustenance during the hot summer months. However, there are some key differences between them. While saison is light and crisp with a spicy taste and floral aroma, biere de garde tends to be slightly malty with mild hops and a subtly sweet flavor with notes of honey or butter. Biere de garde’s combination of malty and light flavors makes it a fantastic beer to pair with many meals.

As we discussed last week, there a lot of great beers that will enhance the various courses of a Thanksgiving meal, but if you’re looking for something that will do well with all of it, look no further than biere de garde. If you haven’t heard of biere de garde before, don’t feel bad. It’s a fairly rare style, but it’s been making a come back in recent years. American craft brewers  The Lost Abbey do a great job with there  Avant Garde ale and  Jolly Pumpkin‘s  Oro De Calabaza isn’t bad either, although it’s probably a bit lighter than most bieres de garde. Within the French examples,  3 Monts from Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre is the classic version. Jenlain from Brasseurs Duyck is also worth a try, as is Castelain Biere De Garde.

Whatever you pair with your turkey day meal, all of us at Beeriety hope it’s a good one.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Beeriety crew!

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Pairing The Right Beer With Your Thanksgiving Day Meal

Thursday, November 19th, 2009

Cornucopia

On Tuesday we introduced the wonderful world of pairing beer with food. Today we’re going to delve deeper into the topic by exploring the beers that compliment a traditional meal many of us are preparing to have next week- Thanksgiving.

Beer with Thanksgiving isn’t anything new. It was a daily staple for the Pilgrims, as it was for most people in the 17th century. The Pilgrims had planned to sail all the way down to Virginia but were forced to make their home in Plymouth, Massachusetts because they ran out of beer. We think they had the right idea, so join us next Thursday in toasting Thanksgiving with your favorite brew.

When picking beer to pair with Thanksgiving, you can either choose one brew to enjoy throughout the meal, or you can go all out and pick a different beer for each course. If you are going with one beer for the whole meal, you want to pick one that’s versatile enough to cover all the flavors and aromas of Thanksgiving while keeping in mind what the dominant tastes are going to be. In my experience, the rich, savory and slightly sweet flavors of Turkey with gravy, stuffing, sweet potato casserole and pumpkin pie all go great with balanced beers like bock, Oktoberfest and a little known French style, Biere de Garde. All of these beers are somewhat malty but still crisp and refreshing, which is what makes them great with Thanksgiving. Here are some recommendations for each of these styles:

Biere de Garde – This rare French style is smooth and slightly buttery. It’s seen a recent resurgence from American craft brewers like The Lost Abbey and Jolly Pumpkin with their Avant Garde and Oro De Calabaza beers, respectively. 3 Monts from Brasserie De Saint-Sylvestre is the classic French version.

Bock – Although it might be a bit too sweet, Sam Adams Winter Lager is a great bock to try. If you can’t find that, try Anchor Bock from Anchor Steam.

Oktoberfest – If you can still find it this time of year, Paulaner’s a great choice. See are our article on this style for more details.

If you choose this second option – pairing different beers with each course – it’s a good idea to progress toward heavier, more intense beers and not the other way around. A more delicate beer like a wit could seem off if you have it following an intense brew like a barleywine. The different food courses work the same way; you begin a meal with lighter fare like salad and finish it with rich desserts like chocolate. Here’s a list of common Thanksgiving items and some beers that go well with them:

Turkey – Oktoberfest (Paulaner), Biere de Garde (3 Monts), Bock (Anchor Bock).

Sweet potato – Brown Ale (Newcastle), ESB/English Bitter (Fullers), Pumpkin Beer (Dogfish Head Punkin).

Stuffing – Rye Ale (Founder’s Red Rye).

Pumpkin pie – Dunkelweiss (Weihenstephaner Dunkel), Dopplebock (Ayinger), Cream Ale (Sam Adams), Pumpkin Beer (Dogfish Head Punkin).

Green beans/veggies – Pale Ale (Sam Smith).

Cranberry sauce – Lambic (Lindemans Framboise).

Of course, these are just suggestions. The best beer and food pairing is the one you like the most. What are you planning to drink with Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Beeriety team!

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How to Pair Beer with Food

Tuesday, November 17th, 2009

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For too long, wine has been the sole companion to fine dining, while beer has been relegated to tailgates and parties. Don’t get me wrong, nothing beats a beer on its own when you’re relaxing with your friends, but that’s not all beer can do. Beer pairs amazingly well with a variety of foods. Enjoying a great meal with the proper beer can enhance them both, making a good dining experience into a great dining experience. Today we’re going to look at the basics of how to pair beer with food.

When pairing food with beer, there are two basic approaches. The first is to match the flavors of your food with similar flavors in your beer, and the second is to contrast the flavors of your meal with a beer on the flip side of the palate. To better illustrate these ideas, let’s take a look at an example- pairing beer with Indian cuisine.

Spicy Indian dishes like chana masala or chicken korma are delicious, but they don’t always go well with wine. Hot and spicy foods are notoriously difficult to pair with wine, but beer makes a great companion. The spicy hops in an India Pale Ale can match the spices and the herbs in the food perfectly. The similar flavors from both are blended together on your palate to create a fusion of spicy goodness; this is what matching flavors is all about. A great IPA to pair with Indian food is Hazed & Infused from Boulder Beer Co., which has some wonderfully bitter Crystal and Centennial hops in it.

Instead of pairing a meal with a beer that will match the flavors of the food, you can pick a beer that will offer a contrast in flavor, something that will balance out the spiciness of Indian cuisine and refresh the palate. The fruity, crisp flavors of a hefeweizen like Paulaner make a great counterpoint to curry and other intense Indian flavors.  It cleans the taste buds with its intense carbonation and cools them down with flavors of banana and cloves.

Even if Indian food’s not your thing, this example should give a basic idea of how food pairing works. Once you understand the concept of matching and contrasting different flavors it’s time to experiment with the pairings you like best. There is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to do it. One thing to keep in mind though is to keep the intensity of the food flavors consistent with the intensity of the beer flavors.

Don’t let your beer overpower your meal (or vicea versa.) A big hoppy and malty barleywine like Big Foot from Sierra Nevada can certainly offer a contrast to many different meals, but that doesn’t mean it’s the best thing to pair it with a subtle dish like lobster. If enjoyed together the barleywine will undoubtedly dominate your palate, drowning out the lobster’s delicate flavors and hurting the meal. A more subtle and nuanced beer like Chimay’s Belgian Triple would help bring out the complicated flavors in seafood. A beer as bold as Big Foot would properly do well against a meal with a similar level of intensity such as barbecue pork, which matches the sweet and spicy flavors of the beer. This is just a suggestion though, to discover what you like you should explore as many beer and food pairings as you can.

What are some of your favorite beer and food pairings? Let us know next time you try it by tweeting what you drank and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.

On Thursday, we’re going to take a more in depth look at how to pair beer with a meal many of us well be enjoying next week- Thanksgiving. Be sure to tune in then for suggestions on what beers go best with traditional Thanksgiving favorites.

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Drinking To Your Health: Beer And The Body

Wednesday, November 11th, 2009

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Today’s post is part 2 of Beeriety contributor Sarah’s look at beer and health. Thanks Sarah!

The health benefits of beer (when consumed in moderation, of course) are almost in-numerable. A beer can help with everything from settling an upset stomach to improving heart health to increasing blood iron levels. It can strengthen bones, improve skin, and defend against memory loss. And as for those beer bellies, it doesn’t cause them. What beer does do, as more and more evidence is suggesting, is just about everything that red wine does – maybe more!

The specific benefits of beer come from three main areas:

Alcohol: We’ve been hearing for years now that regular consumption of small amounts of alcohol is good for you. A drink a day can help increase blood flow, which is both relaxing and good for the heart, reducing the likelihood of stroke or heart attack. A lesser known benefit to drinking is its ability to fight osteoporosis. Because alcohol helps the body absorb calcium more efficiently it can help maintain healthy, strong bones. Low to moderate alcohol consumption has been loosely linked to fighting diseases and conditions like dementia, type 2 diabetes, hearing loss, rheumatoid arthritis, and ulcers. Those who drink a little live longer (and healthier) than those who drink too much or not at all. And a standard 12oz bottle of beer (typically) has the same amount of alcohol that a standard 5oz pour of red wine would have.

B-Vitamins: The grains and yeasts used to make beer are rich in powerful B-vitamins, which help the body maintain healthy metabolism, immune function, and red blood cell counts. And like alcohol, they’ve also been linked to improved blood pressure and healthy heart function. Most notably, the concentrations of B6, B12, and folic acid found in beer help prevent the build-up of homocysteine, an amino acid linked to both cardiovascular problems and bone-deficiency, making beer valuable to heart, bone and skin health.

Hops: Hops, as we’ve learned before, are a flowering plant used to balance the flavor of beer and help keep unwanted bacteria from affecting the desired reactions of the yeast. However, before it was used in beer, hops were used to treat everything from indigestion to leprosy. Today hops (when not in beer) are most frequently used as an herbal supplement to treat insomnia and mild anxiety. These anti-oxidant-rich plants contain a powerful compound called xanthohumol, a prenylflavonoid which may fight conditions like cancer and Alzheimer’s. While most beers only contain trace amounts of this compound (the hoppy-er varieties will obviously have more), hops have many other health benefits: they can reduce blood triglyceride levels; they can help sooth upset stomachs and aid in digestion; and they can help reduce the calcium build-up that leads to kidney stones. In addition, hops are a powerful phytoestrogen, potentially aiding in the fight against heart disease, certain cancers, and osteoporosis.

So, the next time someone tells you to put down the pint glass and pick up a wine glass, don’t be afraid to proudly defend your drink of choice!

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Drinking To Your Health: Beer and Beauty

Tuesday, November 10th, 2009

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Today’s post comes to us courtesy of contributor Sarah. Thanks Sarah!

It may seem like a waste of perfectly good beer to use it in soaps, skin-care, and hair treatments, but beer as a beauty treatment is possibly as old as beer as a drink. Beer was used topically by Greeks, Babylonians, and Egyptians, to soften skin and even cure wounds and irritations. In fact, many of the same qualities that make beer good for your insides also make it pretty good for your outsides. Consequently, a number of spas offer beer baths, beer facials and beer hair treatments; cosmetic companies like UK-based company LUSH market beer-based products; and even breweries themselves, like Magic Hat and Dogfish Head, use their own brew to make soaps and shampoos.

So what can beer do for you when you’re not busy drinking it?

Skin: Beer is rich in vitamins, minerals, anti-oxidants, and amino acids, so it makes sense that it would improve skin’s quality and luster. But the most active ingredient for improving skin might be the yeast. Brewers yeast can help balance the pH of skin and regulate the production of sebum (your skin’s natural oil,) making it ideal for treating acne-prone and dry skin. Much as it does in the beer itself, yeast kills bacteria on the skin’s surface (helping to fight breakouts) while enzymes gently exfoliate dead, dry skin without any harsh abrasion (perfect for drier or sensitive skin.) German skin care company Dayenne has made a business of this; nearly all of their products contain some amount of brewer’s yeast. Likewise, it’s tradition for spas in Eastern Europe to offer a number of beer treatments, from beer-baths to masks made from beer and certain raw ingredients of beer – crushed hops, malt, honey, etc. The trend is beginning to take off in the states but is still just getting started.

But never fear – you can easily make your own beer bath by adding your favorite brew to the bath water, or you can try making your own moisturizing beer mask at home.

Hair: Beer has been a home-remedy for dull and frizzy hair for ages, but it can work as a reparative treatment for nearly every hair type. Beer is extremely rich in amino acids, which help improve hair follicles and coat and repair each strand of hair. This makes it ideal for damaged, color-treated or fly-away/frizzy hair which needss that coating to look smooth and sleek. But it can also add texture, body and volume, which makes it great for finer, thinner hair. In addition, the hops present in beer can help treat scalp irritations, dandruff, and may even encourage hair growth/re-growth. LUSH offers two options for trying out beer in the hair:  Cynthia Sylvia Stout Shampoo and The Strokes Conditioning Hair Treatment, both of which are made with organic Irish stout and bumped up with and an additional dose of brewer’s yeast. You can also check out Dogfish Head’s solid shampoo bar made with their Shelter Pale Ale.

If you want to do it yourself, you have a number of options: the simplest is of course just to pour a beer into your hair in between shampooing and conditioning, letting it sit for a few minutes before you rinse. But there are also numerous recipes for making treatments, shampoos, etc. Just pick your favorite brew and get started at Ehow.com

Happy Bathing!

Tune in Thursday for part 2 of Sarah’s look at beer & health.

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Top 5 Most Influential Beers

Thursday, November 5th, 2009

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Today we’re going to take a look at the five beers that most define they way we think about beer. Love ‘em or loathe ‘em, they have shaped what beer is for the average consumer.

bud2Budweiser – Regardless of how you feel about Budweiser, you can’t deny the huge role it has had in creating the modern American beer landscape. Wherever you are in the US, you can find a bottle, can or draft of Budweiser. Sure, Bud Light has replaced Budweiser as Anheuser-Busch’s signature brand, but it was good ol’ Bud that paved the way. A-B won over the masses thanks to Bud’s universal availability and year after year of clever commercials. Although certainly not the first light lager, Budweiser’s own special blend of corn and rice makes for an “easy to drink” beer that’s great for folks that don’t really like beer.

guinGuinness – It’s hard to overstate the influence of Guinness stout. For many (including myself), it was the first non-light lager beer they ever tried. In many ways, it can be thought of as a gateway beer introducing many to the world of beer beyond Budweiser. They’ve accomplished this with their velvety smooth texture and lightly roasted flavors. Although Guinness has a reputation as an extremely heavy beer, it’s deceptively smooth and light, which makes it dangerously easy to drink.

anchorsteam_bottleAnchor Steam -  The original American craft beer. As we mentioned on Tuesday, Anchor Steam was the first brewery after Prohibition to brew without adjuncts or fillers, making it the first craft brewery. When Fritz Maytag bought the failing Anchor Brewing Company in 1965, he probably had no idea it would lead to the craft beer movement, but it did. Anchor Steam showed the world that American beer could be unique, substantial and delicious. The beer itself is a lovely hybrid of the best qualities of ales and lagers. It combines the light and smooth aspects of lager with the warm, round flavors of ale. It’s certainly worth a try.

samSam Adams Boston Lager – While Anchor Steam was the first American craft brewery, Sam Adams was the first to expand their distribution on a national scale.  This enabled almost everyone in American to get a taste of lager done the proper way. Without any adjuncts like corn or rice in their beer, Sam Adams became the first American lager to be sold in Germany under their strict beer purity law, the Reinheitsgebot. Sam Adams lager is notably hoppy for a lager, something the company takes considerable pride in, which they should.  It’s delicious.

sierra_nevada_pale_ale_35clSierra Nevada Pale Ale – Over the last ten years, much of the experimentation and innovation among craft brewers has happened in the realm of hops, and this is the one that started it all. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is one hoppy beer, even by pale ale standards. It delivers a massive hop taste that’s citrusy and floral, really showcasing what hoppy beer can be. Their signature use of Cascade hops also helped usher in that variety as the American hop.  To this day, most American IPAs and pale ales have some Cascade in them.

What beers have really influenced the way you think about beer? Where do these beers stack up in your Top 5? Leave us a comment and let us know what your favorites are and where we missed the mark. And as always next time you have a brew let us know by tweeting what you drank and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.

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A History In Beer: Pre-Prohibition Lagers & Steam Beer

Tuesday, November 3rd, 2009

We Want Beer

Despite a growing craft beer movement, American beer is still dominated by the big three brewers: Coors, Miller and Anheuser-Busch, who account for almost 80% of all beer sold in America. The vast majority of their beer is light lager, a poorly regarded style developed by these three companies to maximize profits, not taste. American beer wasn’t always like this though. There was a time when the average beer bought in the US wasn’t a bland, watery beer.

Prior to Prohibition’s ratification in 1920, America was not dominated not by a handful of giant brewers selling lagers but by thousands of small breweries and brewpubs serving all kinds of beers in their own neighborhoods. The styles available varied widely around the country and could be anything from a German style lager to a heavy English stout.

Sadly, all of this was put on hold for thirteen long years.  When Prohibition was repealed in 1933, the crippled beer industry was slow to regain its former prominence. Many smaller brewers had given up their craft for other professions. Instead, the big companies who had survived Prohibition by switching to other operations grew bigger, taking the place of the local brewery. This put an end to local variety and regional styles, and soon the light lager was dominant throughout the country. By 1978, there were just 45 brewers in the entire country, a far cry from the 2,700 breweries that existed a century earlier.

anchor_bottleMany styles and flavors unique to certain parts of the country that flourished prior to Prohibition were lost when brewing resumed in America. One such style was the flaked maize lager. As the name implies, this beer was brewed with flaked maize, an unmalted cereal grain, instead of barley. Although the light lagers peddled by the big companies today use corn as a cheap ingredient, flaked maize was hardly a bargain back in the day. It could cost almost three times more than most domestic malts. Flaked maize lagers were said to be strong with a grainy sweetness. Since no one produces this style today, it’s hard to know for sure.

One pre-Prohibition style that is still produced is steam beer. Czech and German immigrants brought their lager brewing techniques with them when they came to California in the 1800’s. The temperatures in California however were considerably warmer than in Eastern Europe. This created a problem as lagers depend on colder temperatures to brew properly. The result was an entirely new style of beer: steam beer. Lager beer brewed at ale temperatures creates a delicious hybrid of an ale and lager, combining the crispness of a lager with the fruity sweetness of an ale.

The style was single-handedly brought back from the brink of extinction by Fritz Maytag, who purchased the fledgling Anchor Steam brewery in 1965. He reformulated the beer’s ingredients, becoming the first in America to brew without adjuncts or fillers since Prohibition, thus making him the first modern craft brewer.

Anchor Steam copyrighted the term ‘steam beer’ so now the style is properly known as California common, although many still use the former term. Whatever you call it, steam beer makes for a great beer any time of the year. Let us know next time you have one by tweeting what you drank and adding the ‘#mybeer’ hashtag.

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